Werner was born into a family with a mining tradition; therefore, it was expected he should enter the profession. In 1774, as a student at the Freiberg Bergakademie, he wrote his first book, Von den äußerlichen Kennzeichen der Foßilien, and based upon its merit, in 1775, Werner was appointed professor of mineralogy at that institution. He remained there the rest of his professional life. He was by accounts an electrifying teacher, who devoted himself to developing the sciences of mineralogy and geology. His students, many of whom became famous instructors in there own right, spread his theories throughout Europe and North America. However, Werner's idea that basalt was aqueous in origin sparked the great controversy between his theory and that of Scottish geologist James Hutton [1726-1797]. Werner accumulated an extensive personal mineral collection of over 10,000 specimens, which he sold for 40,000 talers to the Freiberg Bergakademie. Today, it is together with Werner's library among the earliest of the great collections that still remains intact.

Rare. One of the most influential writings in the development of the mineralogical sciences. It is the first successful attempt at describing systematically determinative mineralogy. Werner who wrote this book, his first, as a student, at the youthful age of 24 had been around minerals and mining his entire life. He had practical experience in what was needed by the miners to identify minerals, and the reasons for identification. Werner had originally intended to publish an annotated translation of the dissertation written by Johann Carl Gehler titled: De Characterivs Fossilivm Externis (Lipsić, 1757). After showing the completed translation to his scientific circle, he was advised to that it was better to write a book that was wholly his own. The result was Von den äusserlichen Kennzeichen der Fossilien, which took the young Werner only a few months to complete. Based upon this books merits, Werner was appointed to the staff of the Freiberg Bergakademie, where he stayed the remainder of his professional life.

The book is written not as a mineralogical classification system as was then typical, but rather as a compendium of external characteristics of a large number of minerals. Werner intended it to be used as a practical guide for mineral identification, and proposed that this study be given the name "oryctognosy."-a term previously applied in a wider sense, such as Bertrand's Dictionnaire Oryctologique Universalle (Paris, 1763). For his book Werner precisely defined an unprecedented number of external characteristics that could be used to accurately identify specimens through hand examination. Included in the distinguishing features identified for use are color, luster, form, streak, hardness, and specific weight. Werner claimed that determining all of these qualities for a given mineral specimen was enough to identify its species. In fact, these same characters are readily found in modern handbooks of determinative mineralogy because in most cases they are enough to distinguish the common species. The landmark character of Werner's work rests on the fact that no one before had so precisely defined the properties used to test minerals, and the effect on mineralogical science can be described as revolutionary, with many of his former students writing their own texts to spread Werner's theories in a multitude of other languages.

Photographic reprint of Von den äusserlichen Kennzeichen der Fossilien (Leipzig, 1774). An additional commentary in English by Albert V. Carozzi [see note under the 1962 English translation] has been added that describes this books position in the history of mineralogy.

Modern translation by Albert V. Carozzi [see note below] of Werner's own annotated copy of Von den äusserlichen Kennzeichen der Fossilien (Leipzig, 1774). This edition is rich with commentary and notes, particularly in reference to other editions of Werner's book. It is not a direct translation of Werner's published work, but rather a translation of what the second edition might have been.

Albert Victor Carozzi. (Born: Geneva, Switzerland, 26 April 1925; Died: ) Swiss/American geologist & science historian. Carozzi was educated at the University of Geneva (M.S., geology and mineralogy, 1947; Dr. Sc., geology and mineralogy, 1948). Afterward, he was for a time a lecturer at the University of Geneva. Then in 1957, he accepted a position as associate professor of geology at the University of Illinois. He became full professor in 1959, and professor emeritus in 1989, after over 30 years of service at the University. His concentration on the exploration and evaluation of mineral deposits and petroleum resulted in his working as a consulting geologist to major American, European and South American companies. Through his numerous writings and translations (some completed with his wife, Marguerite Carozzi), he is recognized as a distinguished historian of geology.

Scarce. Translation by Madame Guyton-Morveau with additional notes by her husband, Louis Bernard Guyton-Morveau [see notes below], of Von den äusserlichen Kennzeichen der Fossilien (Leipzig, 1774). Recognizing Werner's work to be a reformation of mineralogy, Guyton-Morveau encouraged his wife (refered to as Mme. P.*** in the approbation, p. xxx, in reference to her maiden name of Picardet) to translate the textbook into French. However, it was not until 1790 that it appeared. Even so, the translation was readily accepted by the scientific community.

Mme Guyton-Morveau writes in the preface that in 1786 the Spanish scientist, Don Fausto d'Elhuyar, stopped by her home in Dijon and told her that Werner was occupied in translating Cronstedt's mineralogical textbook and would not write a second edition of his famous book. In addition, she records that d'Elhuyar sent her copies of his class notes obtained while attending Werner's lectures as a student in Freiberg. These arrived in the form of a copy of the textbook in which were interbound a great number of manuscript pages containing numerous modifications and corrections. As a result of these additions, the 1790 translation is the original text significantly modified in many respects. Mme Guyton-Morveau herself writes that she almost considers this a new edition when compared to the original. It is the best contemporary translation of Werner's textbook.

Louis Bernard Guyton-Morveau. (Born: Dijon, Côte d'Or, France, 4 January 1737; Died: Paris, France, 2 January 1816) French chemist & aristrocat. Guyton-Morveau was a lawyer by profession and served from 1755 to 1782 as a member of the Dijon Parliament. Science had always been his hobby, and after his retirement, he turned his attention to chemistry. He worked with Lavoisier to reform the nomenclature of chemistry. When the French Revolution occurred, Guyton-Morveau returned to politics on the side of the revolutionists and survived the period, although he did nothing to help Lavoisier. He served as master of the mint under Napolean, and was made a baron in 1811.

Scarce. Translation by Thomas Weaver [see note below] of Von den äusserlichen Kennzeichen der Fossilien (Leipzig, 1774). In the introduction, Weaver writes that since Werner is not presently writing a new edition, he feels compelled to translate the original edition with additional material. Sources for the additions are stated to be principally copies of Werner's manuscript corrections and addtions circulated among his students, notes taken during his lectures given during 1791-2, and the mineralogies of his disciples Wiedenmann and Emmerling, and the Manual of Natural History by Blumenbach.

Thomas Weaver. (Born: 1773; Died: Pimlico, England, 2 July 1855) English geologist. From 1790 to 1794, Weaver attended the Freiberg Bergakademie, where he studied under Werner. After graduation, he was appointed a government geologist in Wicklow. Later he worked as a consultant in Mexico and the United States. Weaver was elected to the Royal Society in 1826.

7. English, 1849-50 [English transl.].
A treatise on the external characters of minerals by Abraham Gottlob Werner ... An improved translation from the German with explanatory notes edited by the Wernerian Club. London: G. Barclay, 1849-50.

8°: xi, [13]-143 p.

Very scarce. Translation by Charles Moxon. It is very close to Weaver's translation of 1805, but with some material that had become obsolete between 1805 and 1850 deleted. Only a few notes have been added by Moxon.

Very rare. A catalog describing the fine mineral collection of the Saxon mining official Karl Eugen Papst von Ohain [see note below]. The first volume begins with a lengthy introduction in which Werner explains in detail his mineral classification system. This is followed by descriptions of the minerals, arranged in five separate sections according to external characters, the use of the minerals, a natural method of classification, the localities of the specimens and the historical development of the earth's crust.

Karl Eugen Pabst von Ohain. (Born: Freiberg, Germany, 8 April 1718; Died: Freiberg, Germany, 25 July 1784) German mining expert. Pabst von Ohain was director of the Freiberg Bergakademie from its founding in 1769 until his death. In his lifetime he was considered among the most knowledgeable mineralogists in Saxony, having built a collection of over 7,500 specimens. After his death, it was reorganized by Werner, and sold to the government of Portugal, which shipped it to the University of Rio de Janeiro to be used in teaching mineralogy and geology. Pabst von Ohain was a member of the Leipzig and St. Petersburg Academies.

Very scarce. Published in the same year as Werner's death, this work, edited with commentary by his student Johan Carl Freisleben, is based on the last lectures Werner gave as an instructor at the Bergacademie in Freiberg. The long introduction gives curious details about Werner's life and the disposition of his estate.

Extremely rare. A broadside providing in tabluar form an overview of Werner's latest mineralogical classification scheme to 1816. At the head of the table is an interesting orthographical mistake of "Mineral-Sistem" (it shoud read "Mineral-System") that may indicate other errors. Only a few copies of this single leaf item have been traced in European libraries.

Very scarce. LKG: XIII 176a. A foundation book to modern studies of economic geology, this work describes the basic techniques used in ore deposit studies. One of the major books of Werner, this publication contains his theory of the origin of ore deposits, in which he hypothesises the origin and emplacement of veins, established criteria for detecting the relative ages of veins and vein materials, and gave a detailed study of vein structure and the rocks in which they occur.

Very rare. This short monograph sparked one of geology's greatest controversies. In it, Werner states for the first time his belief that all basalt is of aqueous origin, thus precipitating the great basalt dispute between the Neptunists and the Plutonists. Originally issued in Abhandlungen der Boehmischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften (1786), this is the first separate issue.

English transl., 1971:Short classification and description of the various rocks. Translated with an introduction and notes by Alexander M. Ospouat. Translation and facsimile of the original text (1786) in juxtaposition. New York: Hafner Publishing Company, 1971. 8°: x, 194 p., illustrations.

Translation by Alexander M. Ospouat. Contains chronological list of Werner's published writings and a list of references.